Research Papers / Research Proposal for Sociology Master Degree in Japan University [3]

Prompt:
"Composition of a research theme, purpose and research plan. Written (or typed) either in Japanese (approx.2000 characters) or in English (approx. 1000 words.)"
My field in Graduate school is Sociology.
It's been through many drafts. Please provide some final critical commentary. Thank you very much!

Research Theme:

IMPACT OF SOCIAL WORK FOR FOREIGN WORKERS IN A MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY:
A CASE STUDY OF VIETNAMESE WORKERS IN YOKOHAMA (2020-2025)

In the context of globalization, labor export from developing countries to developed countries has been an important trend for many decades. Due to its aging population, Japan now has a large number of foreign workers, making it a stand-out multicultural society to study. Recently, the Vietnamese have surpassed the Chinese to become Japan's largest foreign workers. Vietnamese also make up the majority of the trainees in the Foreign Technical Intern Training Program (TITP). Besides the benefits they create for the Japanese economy, they also cause a backlash in society due to increased crime and other factors.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnamese workers as well as all foreign workers have received a lot of support from the Japanese government such as a program to hand out ¥100,000 to all citizens and foreign residents. It's certainly a financial relief for ex-pats hit hard by the pandemic.

Yokohama is the second largest city in Japan in terms of population and Japan's earliest gateway to the modern world. As Yokohama helped lay the groundwork for modern Japan, companies from around the world established bases there, making it a mainstay of the Japanese economy. All make Yokohama a remarkable place to study social work in a multicultural context.

I intend to investigate the practice of social work programs for foreign workers in Yokohama from both the perspective of foreign workers (i.e., Vietnamese workers) and the perspective of the employer (i.e., the employer's labor management mechanism). By examining the framework of government policy and its function on actual labor management by the Japanese government for the period from 2020 to 2025, I seek to assess the expanding impact of the social work policies, especially focusing on programs for Vietnamese workers in Yokohama.

Research Goals: I intend to answer the research question, "What is the impact of social work on the life of foreign workers in a multicultural society like Japan?" in three ways.

First, is through a dialogue with the professor of social policy and local government. I intend to gain an understanding of what drives labor managers and policymakers who propose and conduct social programs to support foreign workers and what they have learned through these projects. Second, is through a close reading of the outputs and processes of existing projects to examine the performativity of social work towards foreign workers inside the city. The third is through quantitative data analysis, including survey collection in the Vietnamese worker community in Yokohama.

This research aims to examine the social work effects on foreign workers and provide recommendations about social policy and international relations in the support for foreign workers and related fields, as well as a broader perspective to employers on the impact of their projects on the social development in the multicultural environment.

Research Timeline:
1st year, 1st Semester:
· Coursework:
社会学研究Ⅰ（社会学史）
社会福祉学研究Ⅲ（地域福祉）
社会学演習Ⅱ（産業労働）
社会福祉学演習Ⅲ（地域福祉）
社会学特講Ⅰ＆Ⅱ（外書講読、原典講読）
社会福祉学特講Ⅱ（外書講読）
· Contact Yokohama labor union, Organization for Technical Intern Training (OTIT), and Labor Union of Migrant workers to partner for the research.
· Establish network and contact persons to be interviewed in Japan through Yokohama Labor Union and OTIT.
· Further Develop Research Plan.
· Literature review: (see References).
1st year, 2nd Semester
· Develop interview questions.
· Vietnamese workers' workplaces visits.
· Individual, series of interviews with foreign workers and employers in Japan.
· Developing research methods to investigate the social impact of foreign worker support programs.
· Present research plan and progress to professors and the research community for feedback.
2nd year 1st semester
· Vietnamese workers' workplaces visits and interviews.
· Individual, series of interviews with new Vietnamese workers and employers in Japan
· Attend job fairs and conferences to observe and conduct interviews
· Gather quantitative and qualitative data on the impact of labor unions and some featured social work programs for foreign workers.
· Present findings to the foreign workers' community for feedback.
2nd year, 2nd semester
· Adjustment for plan changes.
· Final revisions.
· Thesis Defense.

References:

Aimi Muranaka (2021). Beyond blue ocean? The roles of intermediaries in the cross-border labor market between Japan and Vietnam. Global Networks Volume 2, Issue 3.

Bélanger, D., Ueno, K., Hong, K. T., & Ochiai, E. (2011). From foreign trainees to unauthorized workers: Vietnamese migrant workers in Japan. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal.

Masahiko Yamada (2010). The current issues on foreign workers in Japan. Japan Labor Review, vol.7, no. 3.

Douglass, M., & Roberts, G. (1999). Japan and Global Migration: Foreign Workers and the Advent of a Multicultural Society (1st ed.). Routledge.

Herbert, W. (1996). Foreign Workers and Law Enforcement in Japan (1st ed.). Routledge.